


The Adults Are Talking Now

by limeinthecoconut



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Gen, Peter Parker Angst, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Canon, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie), Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-26 01:46:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19758076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limeinthecoconut/pseuds/limeinthecoconut
Summary: Peter's first police interview to prove he's not the bad guy. It's not going remotely well.Post-canon fic with major spoilers for 'Spider-man: Far From Home'.





	1. Transcript of First Interview

**Subject** : Peter Parker  
**Date** : 26/7/2023  
**Duration** : 21 minutes

**State your name for the record.**

PP: Uh…sure. Do you mean my real name or my made up name? I guess you must’ve heard both of them by now. What with all the news coverage. That Daily Bugle report that’s been everywhere. But…this is just procedure, right? You’re just doing your job? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…let’s start over. I’m Peter. Peter Parker. Nice to…

**And can you confirm your date of birth for me?**

PP: It’s August 10th, 2002. But I should probably tell you…I’m sixteen. Seventeen next month. I would’ve been twenty-one if I hadn’t blipped. And now because I missed, like… _a month_ of school, I have to start my junior year all over again and so I won’t even be a senior until I’m…

**Brief answers will suffice at this stage.**

PP: Okay, sorry. My bad. I tend to ramble when I’m nervous. I don’t know if I have the right to remain silent, but well…silences make me super uncomfortable, so…so that’ll probably make your job easier, right? I’ll be, like, really easy to interrogate. Yeah, I’ve got to work on that. Sorry…it’s nerves. And now I’m doing exactly what you told me not to…

**Do you have a reason to be nervous?**

PP: Well…yeah. But that’s not because I’m like…a bad guy or anything, sir. It’s just what with the whole being framed as a terrorist thing and my secret identity being outed to the entire world. It’s been stressful. And then last night…getting shot up with those tranq darts and brought here to this, um…facility. I just…I’ve had better weeks, you know.

**Your parent’s names?**

PP: My…oh okay. It’s Richard and Mary Parker. Or it was. They’re dead. They died when I was four. But you already know that, right? I mean, I’ve been, like, America’s Most Wanted these last few days. So I figure you've gotta know everything about me by now.

**Your current legal guardian?**

PP: You mean Aunt May? That is, May Parker. Is…is she okay? Please, I didn’t get the chance to see her before you…you know…shot me with those darts.

**May Parker is safe in police custody.**

PP: You’ve arrested May?! That’s crazy, man. Why would you even…?

**Can you confirm or deny whether May Parker was complicit in your secret Spider-man identity and any of your unregulated superhuman activities?**

PP: Are…are you asking if May knew about my powers? Because, I mean…yeah. But that’s not even her fault. I wasn’t even going to tell her at first. I didn’t want her to worry. But then I stupidly left my bedroom door open and she saw me in my suit and I couldn’t get her to believe it was for a costume party so I…I had to tell her everything. But she’s not like my accomplice or whatever. She’s just...my aunt. I live with her.

**Did your aunt ever instruct you in how to use your powers?**

PP: No, never! Well, I mean…I went to her fundraiser for the homeless. For all the people who were displaced by the Blip, you know? But I wasn’t even doing superhero stuff at the benefit. I was just there as a special guest. Kind of like a mascot. I was just trying to help out. That’s mostly what I do, sir. Just those friendly neighborhood…things.

**Except for the times you took part in missions with the late Tony Stark?**

PP: Right. Though technically, there was only ever the one mission. After that we both sort of mutually agreed that it’d be better if I stayed on the ground. And that was fine. That was all going great. Then I accidentally got beamed up into space and we had to fight Thanos on this whole other planet. But aside from that Mr Stark never actually asked me to…

**We understand that Tony Stark recruited you for a combat situation with a number of fugitive war criminals who had refused to sign the Sokovia Accords.**

PP: Well he…he didn’t put it in those terms exactly. It was just Cap and his team were going a little nuts, so Mr Stark wanted me to web them up so everyone could just like…chill out and talk things through. Because those guys, the Avengers…they’re all friends, you know? So it was a friendly fight. It was actually really awesome. I had the best time.

**And how old were you when Tony Stark invited you to this…friendly fight as you call it?**

PP: Uh…I don’t know if I should say. I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But then, you can do the math, right? I...I was fourteen. And I’d only had my powers for six months, but…but honestly? All those guys I met in Berlin? They were so nice to me. Even when they were beating me up, they weren’t hitting hard...most of the time. They all gave me helpful pointers and made me feel…

**Mr Parker, are you aware that you must be at least eighteen years of age to serve in combat?**

PP: Yeah, but…that’s just for the US army, right?

**For _any_ armed forces. Were you given any form of parental consent to participate in this violent superhuman altercation?**

PP: Um. I didn’t have parental consent as such. I mean, we told May it was an internship. But…I had Mr Stark. He always looked out for me on our missions. So I was never scared I might die or anything. I mean, there was that one time I _did_ die, because of Thanos and those stones. And I know Mr Stark probably blamed himself for that, because…well, he said he would. But it was never his…

**How would you describe your relationship with the late Tony Stark?**

PP: Oh...oh man. Do I have to talk about Mr Stark right now? I just…I know it’s been months since he…but I still can’t even talk about him without getting upset. And like…crying. And I really don’t want to cry right now, sir. So could we please just…?

**To be clear...are you refusing to answer this line of questioning?**

PP: No, it’s not like that! I’m trying my best to, like…cooperate with you here. Because I’m not the bad guy and I’ve been framed and I just want to clear my name so...so I can go home. It’s not that I’m refusing your questions, I just…I just don’t feel comfortable talking to you like this, you know? This is just too weird for me…talking to you through this screen, I mean. Maybe if we were in the same room together, then it wouldn’t feel so…

**I can hear you perfectly well through the screen.**

PP: That’s not what I meant though, sir. I just…I feel like I’m in a zoo here. I mean, this isn’t like a normal people prison, right? This is the one of those, what do you call it…containment modules? Am I at some sort of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters right now? Is Mr Fury here?

**It is police policy that all federal detention centers now come equipped with holding cells for suspects with…enhanced capabilities.**

PP: Right. I get it. But I’m not going to, like…bust out of here or anything.

**Mr Parker, we have it on record that you used your superior strength to break a lock in a county jailhouse in the Netherlands. Is this true?**

PP: Err...yeah, I did do that. But only because my friends were in danger and I didn’t have time to wait and follow the proper procedures. I had to get to London to…to stop him. I didn’t mean any disrespect to you or your profession. I mean…I like the police. Seriously, I’m friends with all the beat cops in Queens. You guys do a really good job. Protecting and serving the community. I respect that. I’ve been trying to do the exact same thing. So…so I’m not going to break your screen, sir. I promise.

**Could you break the screen if you wanted to?**

PP: I…I don’t know. But I’m not even going to try.

**So you wouldn’t characterize yourself as a teenage rebel then?**

PP: Oh gosh, no. Honestly sir. I’ve never, like, even tried to buy a beer with a fake ID or anything. And I’ve never taken drugs apart from…well, those ones you shot me with. How long does it take for that stuff to wear off anyway? Cos I’m still feeling a little woozy even now...

**It would be strictly against our regulations to interview any subject – particularly a minor – while they were under the influence of sedatives.**

PP: Right, right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest that…I’m just really tired, I guess. I don’t think I’ve slept since that Jameson report came out. Not really. I...I’ve got to be careful. I’m not thinking straight. But the point I was making is…I’m just a kid, sir. And I’m a good kid. A friendly neighborhood kid. I just want to prove that I…I'm not the bad guy. I'm not a criminal.

**Mr Parker, if you’ve nothing wrong then why were you resisting arrest?**

PP: I wasn’t resisting arrest! I was just…avoiding it a little.

**We have eye-witness reports which state that you fled from downtown New York the moment the Daily Bugle report aired.**

PP: Yeah because I was freaking out! My identity had just been outed to every person on the planet, sir. And I...I had wanted so badly to live a semi-normal life, you know? I wanted to graduate high school, to go to the Prom, to do the Academic Decathlon and now…now I don’t think I’ll get to do any of those things. Like, _ever._ Now I might just be stuck in this cell for God knows how long because of that doctored footage making me look like some crazy super-villain. So can you really blame me for wanting to hide? I never wanted anyone know what I am! Not even my aunt. Not my best friend. Not my girlfriend. I never wanted my powers to put them in danger.

**Your powers...how was it that you first acquired these powers, Mr Parker?**

PP: What? You mean, like…my origin story? Um, okay. It was…it was a school trip to this science exhibit. They were showing us these genetically enhanced bugs and stuff…and the spiders they had were really awesome. But apparently one had escaped from its container and was crawling around all over the lab. At some point it got under my shirt and it...it bit me.

**You gained all your superhuman abilities…from a spider bite?**

PP: Yeah. That's why...the name. Pretty crazy, right? And the next day I started to notice all these…changes. How my senses were all heightened. How I was stronger and um…sticky all of a sudden. And so I went back to the lab trying to find that spider. I wanted to, like…take samples and run some tests, you know? But one of the scientists there, she told me that after the spider had been caught and they...they had to kill it. Something about high levels of radioactivity in its blood and venom. They said it was too dangerous to keep.

**So dangerous that the spider needed to be exterminated you mean?**

PP: I…I know that sounded bad the way I phrased it. Like, now you’re probably thinking now that I’m dangerous too. Like I’m some sort of...sick mutant or whatever. You’re thinking that I’ve gone nuts and I really did try to kill a bunch of people. But I...I didn’t! I wouldn’t ever! I never wanted to hurt anybody. Not even…

**…not even Quentin Beck? Did Mr Beck die at your hands, Peter?**

PP: _No!_ That wasn’t my…Beck was the one who was controlling those drones! He was the one who launched the attack on London, not me! I was trying to stop him. To get E.D.I.T.H. back from him. After that I would’ve just webbed him up so Beck could go to jail, same as all the other bad guys I’ve caught. But he…he must’ve taken a hit when he was getting the drones to fire at me. I didn’t do it, sir, I swear I…

**These drones…they're a feature of ‘this weaponized Stark tech’ that Quentin Beck spoke of in his final moments?**

PP: Yeah, but…you’re talking like you believe him. Like you believe what Beck said in that video. Please tell me you don’t believe him?!

**Mr Parker…where is this E.D.I.T.H. device now?**

PP: It…it’s safe.

**It's safe _where_ exactly?**

PP: I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that, sir.

**Are you refusing to cooperate?**

PP: Please, you don’t understand. Mr Stark, he trusted me to take responsibility for his invention. Me and nobody else. And I already screwed up once, okay? I gave E.D.I.T.H. away to Beck and he almost killed my friends. I can’t risk that happening again. So I can’t tell you where it is. Whatever you do to me...I just can’t.

**Do you think it was wise of the late Tony Stark to leave a teenager in charge of such a dangerous piece of surveillance equipment and weaponry?**

PP: ...probably not. But you see…I might be all that’s left of the Avengers, sir. That’s how it feels anyway. So I’ve got to do right by Tony. Even if he was wrong. Even if he was a complete mess. I would still be _dust_ right now if he hadn’t brought me back. So I owe him. I can’t let him down again.

**Do you accept that – in light of recent allegations – your refusal to hand E.D.I.T.H. over to the proper authorities could be perceived as a threat to global security?**

PP: I know and I’m sorry, I just...I can’t tell you. I mean, what…if this is all another trick? What if Beck isn’t really dead, huh? What if this is one of his illusions and he's trying to make me stupidly give up information. I…I can’t fall for that again. So I’m sorry if you’re real, sir. I'm sorry if you’re just a good cop trying to do your job. But I can’t tell. I just can’t take the risk. I know that I would never use Mr Stark’s tech to hurt people. Not even Brad. But I can’t be certain about anyone else. Not anymore.

**Peter, would you say the public’s demand for a new Iron Man has put you under a considerable amount of…duress?**

PP: Look, are you trying to put words in my mouth here?! What do you want me to say? That I was just some poor gullible kid from Queens who worshiped Tony Stark? And now he’s dead and I think he died because of me, so I’m losing my mind trying to somehow live up to him. Because yeah…that’s how it feels a lot of the time. But I would still never attack a city over it. You believe that, don’t you? Does _anyone_ who saw that video even realize that I’m not the bad guy?

**I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say whether…**

PP: Just say that you believe me! _Please!!_

**…Mr Parker! I must insist that you…**

PP: I...I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to get upset. I didn’t mean to…punch your screen. Don’t worry. It’s not broken. Well, it’s a little cracked. I didn’t mean to…honest, I…

**Subject is growing increasingly hostile and choosing to withhold evidence...**

PP: No, no please! Don’t leave me. What...what about a phone call? Can someone please call Happy Hogan for me? I should probably…I need to ask for lawyer, right? Sir please, I’m just a kid. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do in this situation. What should I do? 

**Interview is terminated. Calling security.**


	2. Transcript of First Phone Call

**Caller:** Peter Parker  
**Recipient:** Harold Hogan  
**Date:** 27/7/2023

HH: Kid? Kid, is that you?

PP: Happy. Wow. You never pick up on the first ring.

HH: Pete. My phone hasn’t left my sweaty palm these last few days _and_ nights. Why the hell didn’t you call me sooner? Say, before they offered you your one phone call in lock up? Why wasn’t calling me the very first thing you did after that Jameson report aired?

PP: I didn’t think! I was right in the middle of city...on top of this street light and there were all these people...looking up at me. And they all just started screaming. And I don’t know if they were scared or mad at me or both, but…but MJ was down there with them, right. And I was worried about leaving her behind. I was thinking that maybe I should swing down there and carry her away. But she’d already said she never wanted to do the web swinging thing again. And I didn’t want those people thinking I was, like… _kidnapping_ her, super villain style. And then MJ screamed at me. She yelled out for me to go. And there were other people in the crowd who were pulling out guns, pointing them up at me. So I…I just swung away. I thought it was the best thing I could do to keep her safe. Just get the hell away from her. Is...is she safe, Happy? Is MJ okay?

HH: Relax, relax. Slow down, alright? MJ’s fine. We got her out of the city. Soon as we heard, Pepper arranged for your girlfriend, your buddy Ned and your Aunt May to get out of New York and into a safe house. They’re all perfectly…

PP: May’s at a safe house? But, wait…that police guy. He said she’d been arrested.

HH: No, no, that was just part of the test.

PP: Part of the… _what?_

HH: Kid, have those goons over at the Raft not told you your first interview was just a test? Do you even know where you are right now?

PP: I…I’m in jail. Aren’t I?

HH: _Jesus._ Has Ross not explained anything to you yet?

PP: …who??

HH: Thaddeus Ross. He’s the guy who runs things out there on the Raft. You’ve not been nabbed by the NYPD, Pete. You’re being held in a top secret underwater facility specially designed for incarcerating...enhanced individuals such as yourself. It's the same place they kept the members of Team Cap that you webbed up over in Berlin. Ross called me about an hour ago. He let me know they had you and you were safe. He let me read the transcript of your first interview too.

PP: So wait...you’re saying that whole interrogation I went through…it wasn’t even real? It was all just some trick? Why? Why would they…?

HH: Like I said, it was a test. To see how you’d hold up under questioning.

PP: Well it was a super mean test, Happy! Cos, you know...I’m still really screwed up over things not being real. Like, I still don’t know if Beck’s really dead or if he’s the one who’s caught me or even if it’s really YOU that I’m talking to right now.

HH: Do I need to bring up the porn in your hotel room again?

PP: Alright, alright FINE! Don't let's get into that...

HH: It’s me, kid. The real me. Thankfully I’m not famous enough for any super villain to clone.

PP: Oh. That’s good to know. So this test thing…did I do okay?

HH: Kid, do the words 'Miranda Rights' mean anything to you?

PP: Uh, for sure. That’s the right to remain silent and stuff. I know that. Oh…are you saying that I should’ve kept my mouth shut? Because, it’s just…they left me sweating in that cell for hours. And you know how I tend to talk a lot when I’m freaking out.

HH: Yeah, you’re an incurable chatterbox. I’ve learned to live with it. But kid, it’s not just that you have the right to remain silent. You also have the right to an attorney. To have a lawyer present during your interview to advise you on what to say and not say.

PP: But...I did ask for a lawyer. Didn’t I?

HH: Yeah only in the last few seconds of your interview after spilling your guts!

PP: I’m sorry, I'm sorry! I guess I just…forgot?

HH: You forgot??

PP: I just thought…I’d only need a lawyer if I’m going to court, right? Like…if there has to be a trial. But this situation with me…it’s all based on lies and tricks. I thought if I just told the truth and I explained everything to the cops then they would…

HH: Pete...you didn’t go to the cops and explain yourself. Not right away at least. You ran. Spider-man was seen fleeing through New York by hundreds of witnesses. And when the cops went looking for Peter Parker and they found him missing. You confirmed Jameson was right about your true identity and now the Daily Bugle are doubling down on the rest of their report. You running away just plays into their hands, kid. It makes you look guilty.

PP: I didn’t think!! I panicked. I was just... _scared._

HH: Well, I can’t blame you for that. This situation has us all running scared, Pete. My cardiogram has taken a real hit this week, I'm telling you. But we’ve got to stick together, okay? You’re not alone in this, kid. Where was it you ran to, anyway?

PP: Uh, I don’t want to say. It’s kind of embarrassing. And...gross.

HH: Kid. You didn’t dive into a dumpster, did you?

PP: It just seemed like a hiding place where nobody would find me!

HH: And how long did it take until someone found you?

PP: …about fifteen minutes.

HH: That figures. Who was it that came?

PP: I don’t know if I should say. Is someone monitoring this call? I really don’t want to get anyone else in trouble. For harboring a fugitive or whatever.

HH: Pete, we’re already in trouble. All of us. We all fought on the same team as you to take down Thanos. If one of us goes down as a terrorist, there’ll be blame and suspicion to share around all of the Avengers. Especially now it’s out there that you’re the baby of our superhero band. It makes us look like very bad influences. Thaddeus Ross included. He gave Tony his approval to recruit you for that battle in Berlin. He doesn’t want any child soldier scandal coming back to him. That’s why he’s running damage control on this case.

PP: Oh man. I'm really...I didn’t mean for anyone to…

HH: Of course you didn’t. Nobody blames you. This is all Beck’s doing, remember?

PP: Right. But I’m the one who trusted him. It’s me who…

HH: Pete, we’ve been over this. You’ve got to stop beating yourself up. Stay focused on the present, alright? Now…who was it that found you in the dumpster?

PP: Well, I was just hiding there and thinking maybe I should get out of my costume. But I had no spare clothes. So I was trying to decide if I’d be more noticeable sneaking around the city in just my underwear or in my suit. Then suddenly there was something pulling all the garbage off of me and there was this...blanket thingy wrapping itself around me. Only it wasn’t a blanket. It was a cape. It was Dr Strange’s cape. We’d met before. In space. So I climbed out of the dumpster and there was Dr Strange himself, standing by one of those yellow sparkly things he makes with his powers.

HH: So you’ve been hiding out with Strange this whole time?

PP: Yeah. I don’t know how he found me exactly. Magic, I guess. But he said that he still remembered that time I saved him from being tortured and then blasted out the side of a space ship. And even though he never said thank you for that, he said it was a professional courtesy to return the favor. So that was nice. Nice for him at least.

HH: And did the wizard have any other ideas for helping you out?

PP: Well, I did ask if there was any way he could rewind time or wipe everyone’s memories...so they would go back to not knowing who I was.

HH: Well, that would be neat. Is that something Strange can do?

PP: He said it would be...tricky. Then he said I needed to shut up and stop bothering him while he thought it over. He takes a _long_ time thinking things over.

HH: So why didn’t you call me from the Sanctorum while you were waiting?

PP: I wanted to! But Dr Strange he…he vaporized my phone. Well actually he sent my phone back in time, then vaporized it. Just to be sure that nobody traced it to his house. I tried to tell him that MJ had already set up my phone so the government can’t track me. But he wouldn’t listen. He’s like…super intense.

HH: So what were you doing while Strange was…thinking?

PP: Not much. Just like…freaking out, as quietly as I could. Strange said something about needing to consult with other mystics and review the outcomes of various timelines. So he kept disappearing into his sparkly portals and just told me I should sit tight and not make any contact with the outside world.

HH: I’m guessing that you struggled with that simple instruction.

PP: Happy, I was going crazy in that house! The dude doesn’t have Wi-Fi or even a TV. It’s all just cabinets filled with magical museum stuff and this big library full of dusty old books that made me sneeze when I tried to read them. I would’ve run away sooner if it wasn’t for that guy Wong watching my every move.

HH: Pete, why would you run from a place where you were safe?

PP: You…you know why. I had to know what was going on. I had to make sure the people who I care about weren’t being targeted because of the lies Beck told about me. That’s my responsibility, Happy! And when I finally managed to sneak out of Strange’s place, the...the first thing I saw on the city newsreels was a new Daily Bugle report saying that Aunt May had been receiving all this hate mail and death threats. That people we blaming her for raising a monster. So I had to...

HH: _Pete_...why would you believe that anything that's being said on Jameson's show?! You knew that the Daily Bugle report about you was all fake news. Why did you believe the one about May? Christ, did you really think that I’d have left your aunt alone in your apartment?

PP: I just...had to be sure. I had to go to home and…

HH: It didn’t occur to you that it might be a trap? I tell you, kid…you're lucky it was Ross’s guys who snatched you and not any of these vigilante bounty hunters who are after you.

PP: There…there’s bounty hunters after me?

HH: Aw crap. Forget I said that, okay? You don’t need to worry about that. They’re not going to find you at the Raft. So you’re safe enough for now. But you would’ve been safer if you’d come to me and Pepper first. Why didn’t you come to us, Pete?

PP: You _know_ why. I mean, May must have told you by now, right?

HH: Pete, I've no idea what you…wait...is this about what happened to your uncle? 

PP: Did May tell you what I was doing the night that Ben died? I'd only had my powers for a few weeks. And I was way out of town...at these abandoned warehouses. I was climbing up walls, doing flips off buildings, testing out my webs shooters and filming it all on my phone. I was just…goofing around, having fun. I was planning to go to school the next day, unmasked, and show off my powers. I was thinking about how cool and popular I'd be after everyone found out I was a superhero. And then I came home and…and the police were there talking to May. And she was crying and screaming, because Ben had just been shot trying to stop some guy robbing our local grocery store. It was _my turn_ to pick up the groceries that week. If I hadn’t been away from our neighborhood, then I…I could’ve stopped it happening. Ben might still be alive if only I'd…

HH: Pete…no tears, okay buddy? You’ll set me off too. Just take a breath. None of this is your fault. You didn't ask for any of this.

PP: That doesn’t matter anymore! I’ve got these powers and so it’s up to me to do the right thing with them. It's my fault if I’m getting everything wrong...

HH: Hey, hey, you’re not getting everything wrong!

PP: Happy, please...you heard how I screwed up that police interview test.

HH: And that’s okay. Because you’ll learn from your mistakes and you’ll do better next time. You always do, kid. That’s just what Tony liked about you. You always strive to be better. That's why Tony trusted you to do a better job than he ever could in taking care of his Stark tech. You already did a good job not telling Ross's team where you hid those glasses. These guys have been wanting Tony's inventions for themselves for years. 

PP: I…I still don’t understand why he chose me. Why not Pepper? Or Rodey? Or Banner? _Anyone_. Why would he…?

HH: Listen kid, I’ll level with you. E.D.I.T.H. was supposed to go to Pepper. But just before Tony went off on that time heist with the rest of the team, he...he came to me saying he wanted to change his Will. He said he wanted to leave something for you. Because when he set off on that final mission, kid, he wasn't settling for anything less than bringing you back. 

PP: And you…you couldn’t talk him out of it?

HH: Oh, believe me, I tried. And I figured I could try again afterwards. I never thought we’d really lose him. But even so, I probably wouldn’t have changed his mind. Tony was determined for it be you. He always had faith in you. And besides, Tony was brought up to think of Stark Industries as his birthright. He had to pass it on to his own son and heir.

PP: He…Mr Stark saw me as a son?

HH: Aw, kid. You didn’t know that?

PP: But Tony…he had his own family. He had Morgan.

HH: Only after he lost you. Pete, you didn’t see Tony when he came back from space. He needed something to fill her hole you’d left or he would’ve lost his mind. Before that, I’d have never figured him as the type to settle down and raise a family. He had too many daddy issues of his own. He was scared of turning into Howard and repeating the cycle. But after the snap, the first thing he did was have a child. And he found out he could be a great parent to that kid. Because he’d learnt what is was to be a father with you.

PP: I wish…I wish I could’ve told him...that I…

HH: He knew, kid. He knew. And hey…I’m no Iron Dad and I know it’s a little awkward what with me dating your aunt, but well…I’ve got a bit of paternal soft spot of you too these days. Sorry if I’ve not said so before either. I’m sorry if I act like you bug me most of the time. You’re a good kid, Pete. I always thought so. And we’re going make sure the rest of the world knows it too.

PP: I don’t know how. I just wish it could all just be over.

HH: I hate to break it to you...but this is how life’s going to be from now on. We can make things better, but we can’t rewind or erase what’s happened. You’re out in the world now, Pete. This is what it is to be a grown up. To be an adult with special powers that aren’t going away. I’m sorry this has come to you sooner than it should have. I wish you could’ve stayed a kid a little longer…

**Times up, Parker. I need you to finish your conversation and end the call now.**

HH: Hey, who said that? Kid, are you still…

PP: I’m here, Happy. But the guard says I’ve got to go, so...

HH: Hang in there, Pete. We’ll see you soon.

PP: I…I hope so.

HH: Any messages you need me to pass on?

PP: Yeah…there is one thing.

HH: Shoot.

PP: Please send a message to the Daily Bugle and tell that guy Jameson he’s not going to beat me. Say that I’ve fought way bigger bad guys than him and I’ve kicked their asses. And I’m not going to start losing now.

HH. That’s the spirit, kiddo. If Tony could see you now he’d be so…

**Call ends.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the totally unplanned Part 2 to this story. Peter's police interview was intended to be an unsettling little oneshot but since so many readers seemed to be craving a more hopeful resolution, I got inspired to come up with one. Thanks for your feedback and nudging me in the right direction.


End file.
